Nidalos
Nidalos is a sparsely populated civilized world, that was a site of many battles throughout its history and was reduced from once a prosperous world to a half-dead world so-so able to sustain its population. Within the last century, it switched its allegiance from the Imperium of Man and joined the Europan Planetary Federation after the Second Battle of Nidalos, where the Europans answered the desperate call for help after the Arch-enemy made a planetfall. History Ancient history Nidalos was colonized sometime during the late Age of Strife, before Horus, Primarch of the Luna Wolves turned against his father and brothers and threw the galaxy into turmoil that didn't end to this day. Forces of the Imperial Army and the Legion of Space Wolves clashed with the Emperor's Children and their corrupted bootlickers over control of this lush and prosperous world. The fight was fierce and furious, yet the heretics had an upper hand, so the world was denied its existence by a Virus Bomb. The bomb fulfilled its purpose and forced the heretics retreat from the world, yet it, probably due to faulty chemical composition, the bomb didn't exterminate all life as it was supposed to, although what remained alive deviated wildly from it's original form as it began to mutate and evolve. M32 to M39 Not much is known about the early years, as the war and the virus bomb reduced the world into a half-dead husk and threw the survivors back into the stone age and with little technology working, the survivors had to rebuild their civilization from the ashes and tattered remains. Basic technology needed to be rediscovered and books containing knowledge became valuable beyond reason. And even then the world they now live in is way different to the world they once knew, and they had to adapt. Half of the planet is nothing but lifeless barren rock, while the other half is barely surviving, apart from a handful of regions that can sustain themselves and thrive. Even the humans themselves didn't escape mutations, although in their case (as in case of many other animal or plant lifeforms) it was more of a forced and accelerated evolution rather than being changed beyond recognition into drooling, mindless monsters. At least mostly, some didn't escape this fate. Over the millennia, once pure humans developed into several unique breeds of abhumans, each in their own territory of living nature, separated by hundreds of kilometers of dead, inhospitable wasteland. The separation resulted in each being vastly different from one another in cultural, societal and technological levels, as well as in appearance, as each evolved in a slightly different way, depending on the environment of their native zone. M40 Only around M40, when a civilization known as Isdor created a flying machine, a hot-air airship, and learned they are not alone as they met the Naari, and later Zorrun and Greleonii nation. Firstly there was a shock, as each believed they are the only one and that the world ends beyond the horizon of the wasteland. Soon the shock turned into open hostilities between nations, resulting in a war lasting for five centuries. It was a low-intensity war, consisting mostly of hit and run attacks as the long distances and non-existing infrastructure presented a huge obstacle. All participants found ways how to overcome this, however, either by building outposts, roads, and railways or using flying machines to get across the wasteland. It was a war of conquest and extermination, and after the end of the 4th century of warfare, only the nations of Naari and Isdor remained, with all other conquered and either exterminated or fully subjugated. In the very end, the Naari emerged victorious for their technological and numerical superiority. M41 to 081.M42 After the long, bloody war, the world was once again unified under the single rule, this time under the Naarian Theocratic Hegemony. The people of Nidalos began to flourish again, and a time of a rapid technological advance began, taking the world from the age of steam to the age of electricity. An extensive railway network was built, spanning the entire world, connecting all the habitable zones and creating an infrastructural backbone, due to which people and materials could be moved from one zone to another, and cities grew rapidly in size. By half of the 41st millenium, the differences between individual abhuman breeds vanished mostly due to crossbreeding, resulting in a single, mostly stable abhuman breed, with only little deviation, although here and there, features typical for other breeds can be observed. The chance for an individual possessing such features is largely dependant on the genetic structure of their ancestors. 082.M42 This year, the Naarians firstly revealed themselves to the world, when they began calling for help by forming a psychic communion to send out a desperate call for assistance, and it was also the first time the Europans learned about the existence of Nidalos. The Europans decided to hear the call and so the Second Battle of Nidalos was fought, with the Flawless host forced to retreat in the end, yet at a huge cost both in lives and material and the damage caused to the already fragile world was also significant. The Europans offered support and further protection in exchange for the allegiance of the Naarians. The debates took weeks, but the Naarians got persuaded after being explained all the things about the called-off crusade, the Echo Zone and the fact that the Imperium is very likely not coming back anytime soon. 083.M42 to the Present day Currently, the world is, with combined effort, being rebuilt and extensively fortified with bunkers and weapon emplacements. Also, intensive diplomatic negotiations were going on to ensure the smoothest and safest integration into the Europan Federation. One of the requirements was that the prime minister (or High Prophet, how they call their leaders) of the Nidalos will always be a Naarian, not a human. Even the ordinary Naarians are learning about their new allies, as well as humans do. The integration will take some time though, and seeing a Naarian on any of the core worlds is even rarer than seeing a beastman in a business suit. The Adeptus Mechanicus is also examining the Naarian technology and introduces them to their own, usually vastly superior creations. Landscape & Nature *The landscape of this world is rather alien to the ordinary human in its appearance. Over half of the world is effectively dead, with no water, wildlife or vegetation and a terrain that is little more than dry, hot, and windswept, utterly barren wasteland, covering 60% of the planet's surface. The ocean covers 27% of the surface, while the fertile land covers only 13% of the surface, yet the lifeforms living there are truly bizarre. Also, due to almost no axial tilt and nearly perfectly round orbit, there are only very slight changes in weather or temperatures throughout the year, but due to heavy clouds, the world is veiled into near-perpetual, bluish twilight. *Speaking of flora, there are, for example, forests of giant mushrooms tall as a 5-story building or trees with bioluminescent fringes hanging down from the treetops, that cause nerve spasms when touched by naked human skin. Some trees grow bioluminescent fruits and some grow gaseous balloons that explode after some time, spreading seeds around. *Speaking of wildlife, some horrid lifeforms reside in half-dry deserts around the lush areas, as roots limit its growth. Those organisms known simply as Desert Maws are immobile, living bellow the ground in the soft sand, with only huge, twitching insectoid limbs and tentacles protruding from the ground that catch the prey that happens to walk past and feed it to a large maw. Such an organism grows indefinitely larger and larger as long as it gets enough nutrients, and later they usually starve to death. It reproduces by giving birth to dozens of worm-like creatures from honeycomb-like growths above the ground. Giant moths with bioluminescent wingtips are native to the mushroom forests, as well as are spiked lizards and short, bony, barely intelligent humanoids that attack anything on sight, usually by throwing sticks and stones at their prey. Population, Society & Culture Naarian anatomy Naarian anatomy had changed over the millennia, adjusting to the new environmental conditions in their native region. *Their originally human plantigrade feet turned into even-toed unguligrade hooved legs, possibly to allow them faster movement in the rocky and muddy terrain. Leg and thigh muscles are also generally larger and stronger than of an average human. *Their skin became rubbery and devoid of body hair, with a bluish or greyish undertone, presumably as a result of their new skin composition, or to help them blend into the dusky forests more easily. Even their eyes have a protective membrane covering the eyeballs, all likely because of the irritating mushroom spores endlessly falling from the gills meters above. With the membrane, Naarian eyes have a semi-opaque look, yet the iris has a natural bioluminescent capability, giving an impression of glowing eyes, although the glow is rather faint and visible only in near or utter darkness. Their DNA possesses great compatibility with other humanoid species, allowing for cross-species reproduction. *They also grew a moderately long, thin tail, possibly to help them keep balance. *Regarding their multi-species origin, some individuals possess features that were iconic for their distant relatives. Most common features are: **Shallow V-shaped ridges or nubs on the forehead made of hardened skin. It does not have any specific function. **''Flesh hair'', which are long, tubular skin growths growing from the back of one's head, above the neck. Males may have those growths on their chins too. **S-shaped, pointy ears made of hardened skin, pointing roughly diagonally upwards and to the back of the head. This is largely considered as a handicap, as the individual has a significantly worse hearing. **Second pair (and very rarely third pair) of breasts. They are usually fully functional. **Complete hairlessness. With this condition, an increased occurrence of "flesh hair" is common. **Skin pigment discolorization. The individual has discolored, or differently colored patches of skin on their body. Some consider this as a mark of beauty. **Increased eye bioluminescence. This makes the glow of their eyes much more apparent. **Gigantism. An adult individual can naturally have up to 40% more body mass than average. This can be either because above average height, or excessive muscle growth. Naarians *Naarians are very spiritual people, living in calmness and tranquility. They are also no zealots in spiritual matters and always seek a peaceful and respectful solution to their disputes. To become a priest or a shaman is very prestigious, yet very difficult, as each individual must prove their worth and pass many tests, including psychic conditioning, which means all priests and shamans are trained psykers. There is also a position of a war priest, who's basically a battle psyker, but only for the very gifted individuals. Apart from the priests, who serve the community, each individual pursues their own goals. *The population is dispersed throughout the entire livable area, yet the majority is living in cities, each acting as an individual city-state held together in an alliance led by the High Prophet. Naarian architecture is also very unique, as they prefer to build domes, usually out of stone, with windows made of stained glass, usually depicting religious motifs or important individuals, be it a famous warlord, or just the owning family's ancestor. Buildings are also very open and spacious, often even lacking doors and windows, and inside richly decorated. Naarian technology *Since the world developed from scratch, with only little technology surviving intact, the technological level of their world is rather backward, yet even then they were able to achieve things far beyond expectations. Due to lack of resources, gunpowder or gasoline combustion engines never existed, yet electricity is widely used. The most common ways of power generation are steam, wind, and telluric batteries. *Speaking of weaponry, the basic rifle uses compressed gas to propel the projectile, usually solid flechettes or toxin darts, out of the barrel. It is powerful enough to kill a lightly armored man. More advanced weapons use an electromagnetic field to propel the projectile. Those coil rifles are more effective against armored targets and are also built both as small arms or heavy weapons. The slow rate of fire and requirement to wear a bulky backpack with batteries or pressurized gas bottles is a huge disadvantage of both coils rifles and air rifles. Humans *Humans are forced to live in the cities, as the mushroom spores can cause painful blisters after exposure, and if left unattended, even fungal growth spurts from the exposed area and after some time (usually matter of several days) without medical attention, slow and painful death as the fungus grows through the flesh and sooner or later clogs or damages organs. Usage of masks or rebreathers is recommended even for daily use in some regions, as inhaling a spore can be fatal with little chance of saving, and full-body protective gear is required whenever a human wish to enter the fungal forests, or get anywhere near it. *Humans living on Nidalos also had to adjust to the local culture and habits, as it is expected of them by the Naarians to follow at least some traditions as a sign on respect and politeness, and if somebody stands out too much, they are very likely to be ostracized and badmouthed by the natives. Notable locations *'Daraal Zaar' - Daraal Zaar, which in Naarian language means "The City of Light", is the largest and most populated one, and also the richest one. It is a place where the High Prophet lives and preaches, with hundreds of pilgrims coming from other cities to listen. *'Nura'an Zaar' - Meaning the "City in Mountain", Nura'an Zaar is a fortress, built predominantly inside a huge mountain. The city has a long military tradition and holds the largest garrison. *'Daralaan Zaar' - Meaning literally "City where flowers grow", Daralaan is a city focused on agriculture and food production due to their position close to vast fertile fields. They export over 60% of their total food production. *'Nulaar Zaar' - Once a prosperous industrial city, it now lies in ruins, as the city saw the worst fighting against the Chaos forces. Notable people Erluu Geyer - A very first mixed baby to be born. She was rejected and bullied by her peers for her origin. George Ian Rhodes - Europan diplomat permanently staioned on Nidalos. Celesta Van Der Venn - An archeologist and archeotech specialist who conducted excavations at various sites, discovering many relics from the Horus Heresy era. Many of her discoveries were given to the Adeptus Mechanicus for analyzing and reverse-engineering, and those who weren't were sold to private collectors or are displayed in museums. Her most valuable find was a preserved suit of Tartaros-pattern Terminator armor and a nearly complete skeleton of a Fenrisian wolf. Armed Forces Nidalos is home to only 41 regiments, 32 of which are composed of the native population, while the remaining three are humans garrison and peacekeeping units. The most notable are listed below. Also, the Naarians don't use numerical designation on their regiments, as each regiment has a unique name, usually with a long tradition tied to their place of origin. *'Daraalian Temple Guard' - An elite unit of warriors clad in heavy armor and equipped with the best weapons the Naarians produces. By Imperial standards, they could be compared to the Adeptus Astartes, although they lack any implants and augmentics, as well as truly powered armor. They wear exoskeletons that support the weight of the thick armor plates. To battle, they usually carry both ranged and melee weapons, usually Coilrifles, Powered Hammers and shields. They also guard the temple in Daraal Zaar. *'Night Watch' - A unit of mounted light infantry, utilizing local beasts to move around swiftly, and silently. They are expert marksmen and skirmishers. Their duty ranges from patrolling the roads in the wilderness, through reconnaissance to skirmishing and guerilla warfare. They are expert marksmen, skilled beast riders and masters of deception and camouflage. *'War Maidens of Niraan Zaar' - The War Maidens are female-only assault infantry unit known for their preference to get up close and personal with their blades drawn. This, unfortunately for them, does not work anymore, as they are unlikely to face closed ranks of infantry ever again after the introduction of automatic and self-loading firearms, and so they were, despite their dislike towards ranged weapons, equipped with light carbines in addition to their iconic blades. *'Daralaan Siege Corps' - Siege Corps are, basically, tank regiments, yet the word "tank" has to be taken with some leeway. In reality, those Siege engines are huge, slow, steam-powered rumbling landships with dozens of guns all around. Their siege engine is no match against the Leman Russ, let alone the Sabertooth tank. Landships are being slowly phased away and Naarians are taught how to operate regular tanks. The unit already possesses two fully trained and equipped Sabertooth tank platoons. *'Public militia' - Serving as a territorial army, the militia consists of ordinary people that went through military training and are knowledgeable with the use of firearms and military tactics. Every member has their weapon and armor at home, although it is prohibited to wear it while they are not ordered to. Quick Navigation Category:Civilised Worlds Category:Europan Planetary Federation Category:Imperial Planets Category:Planets Category:Capt.Hawkins